ME.. a reality TV star!?!?

I talk to my little sis on the phone every day. About a month ago we were talking about Buddha Bunz and talking about the future. I told her that everyone keeps telling me to apply to be on Shark Tank. A few of the ladies in my Mompreneur (yes it's a real word in my world!) group have been on the show and they are so so inspiring to me! On a whim I told her I'd send another e-mail application over to the tank (I e-mailed about 2 years ago and never heard anything, but who am I out of the thousands and thousands that apply!). While I was on the phone in about 3 minutes I scrambled together an e-mail, attached a recent picture and hit send. I don't even think I read it twice! There, now everyone can stop telling me to apply.. I did so shut it, I'll never hear back anyway!

Last Wednesday (5/15/13) just about a month to the day after I sent that e-mail I got an unknown phone call. As normal I missed the call and didn't recognize the number anyway, and I'll admit I don't get many phone calls so I figured it was a solicitor. I listened to the voicemail a few minutes later and just about dropped the phone when the voice on the other line said "This is 'so and so' with Shark Tank casting, can you please call me back I'd love to chat with you."

Ummm what!! Wait.. Shark Tank.. me.. Buddha Bunz.. breathe..

I picked up the phone and called my husband.. no answer. Called my sister and we freaked out for about 2 minutes and she begged me to call them back as soon as possible. Jake, my 6 year old had just gotten home from school (in between missing days being sick) and was playing XBOX with his friend. Zane, my 2 year old was doing as he normally does and following me around whining about something. I grabbed my pen and paper, told Jake to do whatever it took to keep Zane happy and away from the bathroom door and I'd be out in a few minutes. I called back and they picked right up. I could hardly talk I was shaking so bad! We chatted about what my business was, what I made, how much I've invested, how much I'd ask for and a few other random tidbits of info. All the while she probably had no idea that Zane was screaming on the other side of the door, I had run into the living room, made a face at Jake, grabbed a Popsicle out of the freezer, threw it into the living room and ran back to the bathroom to shut the door.. hoping that at least as far as I threw it would give me another minute to talk. Didn't these kids know how important this is!

Now that I look back, she had to hear the kids.. I can imagine her secretly giggling at this silly work at home Mom with the kids screaming and banging in the background.. oh boy this is reality TV gold she probably thought! And then she asked me to make a 5 minute video and fill out an application which she would e-mail over (cough cough.. a 26 page application to be exact!). I got it all that afternoon and have been through a range of emotions ever since. Fill it out, make the video because I'm worth it, don't bother, I'll never make it on the show, this is a complete waste of time I'm just a small tiny work at home Mom.. all of the above!

Yes, there is still a looong way to go before I would actually end up on the show, I know that. I know it's still a long shot for me. But I didn't start this business out like this, I had no plans on getting on TV, of making it 'big' of being a brand, of people knowing me and my business. I started this out as a way to have some extra cash to buy some cloth diapers. In 2007 I was a stay at home Mom with my new baby Jake, I started using cloth diapers and wanted a way to purchase them without hubby freaking out about my new obsession. I started with a wipe solution, moved to a wool wash, some aromatherapy and then the wool dryer balls and that was where we come to this. I started with a few dollars worth of wool at Hobby Lobby and made a few balls, sold them on diaperswappers.com, bought some wool from a local farm, made some more balls, sold them on diaperswappers.com, bought some wool from an online business, made even more balls, joined a Congo on Hyena Cart, got even busier and busier. It used to take me 2 months to go through 30lbs of wool, then a month, then 1 month, then a few weeks.. now I can go through a few hundred pounds in a day when I'm producing! I've made somewhere around 200,000+ balls (I honestly don't have an exact count o_O).. all by hand.. all by me. Did someone say arthritis and carpal tunnel (boy was it BAD when I was pregnant too.. we're talking icing my wrists multiple times a day)! Owie! I've had another baby in there, I've moved to Tennessee then back to Texas. I've been a firefighter (talk about stress, having a toddler & a pre-teen, trying to make dryer balls, covered in wool, get a call to go to a car wreck or a house fire, come home, take care of kids, continue working), I've gone through LOTS of ups and downs, lots of fails, lots of mistakes, lots of highs and lots of triumphs. I am not the best at what I do, I do it completely on my own, everything.. customer service, making them, shipping them, packing them, staring at the wall, staring at the computer, staring at the wool, taking care of the kids and the home.

This business is life for me. It is staying home with the kids, it is being able to take them to school every morning, pick them up every afternoon. It's random playdates on the floor with my 2 year old playing cars. It's not missing a single moment of my little's life because I'm stuck in some office all day. Granted I do spend a lot of the day staring at the computer screen, but at least that screen is in the kitchen and my kids are right next to me. I did get a full time job in 2008 for about 6 months, right when BBZ was really getting busy. I used to have to take my work to work with me, ship orders on the way home, felt a few balls in my cubicle. Then I was laid off. It was a God send. I had just told Chris that it was make it or break it time, I was probably going to have to let go of BBZ and move on, I just didn't have the time and I was so so tired! After I was laid off I begged him to let me show him I could do this, 'I can do it, I promise, just let me try!'. He did.. and here I am 4 1/2 years later and I still haven't had to go back to work. Thank you for the faith in me (That goes to my husband, my kids, my family and friends and yes that means you.. the customer reading this who has purchased one of my dryer balls.)

So, as you see, getting this phone call for me.. this tiny little work at home Mom.. is HUGE. Even if I don't end up on the show, even if I never hear back from them again, this is exactly what I needed to feel worthy again. To feel like I AM doing something right after all.

I'll update again if anything else happens, if it doesn't.. that's OK.. if it does, that's awesome too!I have big plans for this little business and if having some big fancy investor isn't in the cards (which it very well may not be, and who knows, maybe I don't want them either.. but that national TV spot sure is tempting!) that's just fine with me. :)